Hair support



ul l, 1969 L ma. .3,452,761

, HAIR SUPPORT Filed May 11. 1967 p %'[1NVENTOR.

IRVING SIEGEL ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,452,761 HAIR SUPPORT Irving Siegel, 1700 West Ave., Miami, Fla.

Filed May 11, 1967, Ser. No. 637,759 Int. Cl. A45d 24/00 US. Cl. 132-106 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a hair support which is adapted to be positioned on the head of a wearer to support a high styled coifi'ure without the necessity of teasing the hair, the said support comprising a hollow frame over which the hair is combed to raise it from the scalp.

In the past, high styled coifiures are important in certain styling of hair. Quite often it is a tedious job to tease or back-comb the hair so that it provides its own support and an outer skin of the back-combed hair may be combed over the teased or feathered hair.

The instant invention provides a hair support comprising an inverted shell-type frame of resilient plastic material to nest on the head of a wearer and to be held in position by hairpins or the like and over which the hair of the wearer may be combed so that teasing is not necessary.

It is, accordingly, an object of this invention to provide a device of the type described in the preceding paragraph.

It is another object of this invention to provide an article for supporting hair which includes a shell-type frame of resilient, lightweight plastic material, having a comb on each side thereof at the base so that the frame may be flexed to draw the combs to one another storing energy in the frame for subsequent release to cause the combs to move outwardly with the combs inter-weaving with the hair strands of the wearer to facilitate holding of the frame of the hair support in position.

It is another object of this invention to provide a hair support which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture, which is composed of an open work shell-type frame of ribs and struts and having oppositely disposed combs which is adapted for a flow through ventilation and nesting on the head of a wearer to support a high coitfure.

In accordance with these and other objects which will become apparent hereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a hair support of the instant invention;

FIGURE 2 is a bottom plan view thereof;

FIGURE 3 is an end elevational view of the hair support;

FIGURE 4 is a diagrammatic end elevational view similar to FIGURE 3, illustrating compressive forces applied on opposite sides thereof;

FIGURE 5 is a diagrammatic front elevational view of the hair support with no forces applied thereto;

FIGURE 6 is a diagrammatic front elevational view illustrating compressive forces applied on opposite ends thereof;

3,452,761 Patented July 1, 1969 FIGURE 7 is a diagrammatic end elevational view of the hair support illustrating its endwise configuration with forces applied on opposite ends as in FIGURE 6.

Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the different views, and referring particularly to FIGURE 1, there is shown and designated generally by the numeral 12 a hair support which is composed of a shelltype frame 14 of lightweight, resilient plastic material, the said frame having oppositely-disposed com'bs 16 and 18 along the base or lip edge 20 thereof. The shell-type frame defines a dome-shaped recess 22 with the lip edge 20 of the frame defining a mouth to the recess. The mouth is characterized by a generally elliptical configuration as the mouth is viewed in a plan having a main axis 24 shown in dotted lines of a maximum length in the range of between 4.75 inches and 5.25 inches which is to be aligned transversely of the head of a wearer and over the scalp. The minor axis 26, also shown in dotted lines, is of a maximum length in the order of about onehalf of the length of the main axis which is to be aligned on the head of the wearer in a forward to rearward direction. The shell-type frame preferably comprises a skeletal body of spaced, bowed struts such as that designated by the numeral 32 interconnecting the lip edge 20 along opposite sides of the main axis 24 and, in addition, spaced, bowed ribs such as 34 which interconnect the struts as well as the lip edge on opposite sides of the minor axis 26. The struts and ribs taper depthwise from the lip edge defining the dome-shaped recess of the shell. Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that the lip edge, as seen in elevation, is dished symmetrically between the intersecting points 36 and 38 of the main axis 24 and the lip edge 20 defining on each side of the main axis a substantially straight central zone length 40 and 42 and connecting lengths 44 and 44' and 46 and 46' Which smoothly curve from the opposite end of each of the crown lengths to merge and blend with one another at about the aforesaid points of intersection of the main axis and the lip edge. A first and a second comb 16 and 18 of thin, elongated, oppositely extending prongs, such as that designated by the numeral 56, are provided. The prongs or comb teeth are uniformly spaced along each crown length and the prongs are preferably of uniform length and cross section having terminal rounded ends 58. It will be seen that the frame by reason of its resiliency is responsive to compressive forces applied on opposite sides of the frame adjacent the lip edge of the crown lengths to yieldingly deform, storing energy in the bowed struts and tilting the terminal rounded ends of the teeth downwardly and away from the recess. The frame may be positioned while in the deformed condition in the hair and preferably with one of the combs being moved so as to comb at the scalp surface. Thereafter, and while the frame is still deformed, the opposite comb is positioned in close adjacent proximity' to the scalp. Thereafter, when the compressive forces on the frame are released, the combs will move away from each other, the struts expanding to the normal position moving the prongs through the hair with the terminal ends against the scalp to preliminarily secure the frame in nested position in the hair. It is noted that by reason of the rounded terminal end the prongs move through the hair at the scalp without harm to it and that the prongs are, 'by reason of this construction, uniformly yieldable in all directions surrounding the prongs. The frame is adapted to be secured in the hair of a wearer by hairpin means applied at about the intersections of the lip edge and the main axis to pull those points to the scalp so that the crown length of the lower lip portion conforms to the transverse curvature of the head of a wearer and, simultaneously, the comb teeth are tilted upwardly and expanded with respect to one another to securely hold the hair support in the wearers hair in combination with the hairpins. The hair support is of molded, one-piece plastic construction of lightweight material, such as polypropylene or other suitable plastic material, and preferably each comb includes ten or more teeth which extend outwardly from the central crown length of the lip edge a distance less than /2 inch, the preferred embodiment including fifteen teeth having a length of approximately inch and the crown length being about 2 inches to 2% inches. The central crown lengths are arcuate with respect to the main axis so that the terminal ends of the combs define a parallel, arcuate line, as seen in plan, the prongs of the comb being of equal length and substantially coplanar, as seen in elevation.

While the instant invention has been shown and described herein in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An article for use in providing a support for a coiffure of hair to permit high style without teasing comprising:

a shell-type skeletal frame of resilient interconnected ribs and struts defining a recess and having a lip edge circumposed about the mouth of the recess, said mouth being generally elliptical and having a main axis of a maximum length in the range of between 4.75 inches and 5.25 inches to be aligned transversely of the head of a wearer over the scalp, and having a minor axis of a maximum length in l the order of about one-half of said main axis length to be aligned over the head of a wearer in a forward to rearward direction, the said lip edge as seen in elevation being dished symmetrically between the intersections of the main axis and the lip edge defining on each side of the main axis a substantially straight crown length and connecting; lengths smoothly curved from the ends of each of the crown lengths to merge and blend with one another at about the main axis intersection of the lip edge;

a first and second comb of thin, elongated, oppositelyextending prongs uniformly spaced along each crown length;

said resilient frame being responsive to compressive forces applied on opposite sides of the frame adjacent the lip edge of the crown lengths to yieldingly store energy in the frame and tilting the terminal rounded ends of the teeth downwardly away from the recess for positioning the article in the hair so that on release of the pressure the lip edge will 4 expand to the normal position and the prongs will comb through the hair with the terminal ends against the scalp to a position of nesting;

said prongs including terminal rounded ends to facilitate movement of the prongs through the hair without harm to the scalp, said prongs being uniformly yieldable in all directions surrounding the prongs; and

said frame being adapted to be secured in the hair of a wearer by hairpin means and to be held with the frame bowed to move the intersections of the main axis and the lip edge toward one another so that the crown length of the lower lip portion conforms to the transverse curvature of the head of a wearer and the prongs are tilted upwardly and expanded with respect to one another to securely hold the support in the hair of a wearer, said frame and prongs being of integral molded plastic.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said prongs are of uniform length and cross section and of a length in the order of about /3 of an inch.

3. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said shelltype frame comprises a skeletal body of spaced, bowed struts interconnecting the lip edge and spaced, bowed ribs interconnecting the struts and the lip edge, said struts and ribs crossing one another forming a resilient open work frame.

'4. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said shelltype frame comprises a skeletal body of spaced, bowed struts interconnecting the lip edge on opposite sides of the main axis and spaced, bowed ribs interconnecting the struts and the lip edge on opposite sides of the minor axis, said struts being resiliently deformable on compressive forces applied on opposite sides of the frame to store energy in the bowed struts and said ribs being responsive to compressive forces at the intersections of the main axis and the lip edge to yield and conform to the curvature of the head of a wearer.

5. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the central crown length is arcuate as the frame is seen in plan and of a length of about 2 inches.

6. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said crown length includes at least ten teeth.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 904,411 11/1908 Damon 132-106 953,587 3/1910 Bond 132-106 3,126,018 3/1964 Sidelman 132-54 3,342,189 9/1967 Houston 13253 F. BARRY SHAY, Primary Examiner.

JAMES W, MITCHELL, Assistant Examiner, 

